The Little Mermaid: A New World
by Spotsylvania
Summary: Ariel has always dreamed of being human and marrying Prince Eric, but what happens when she makes a deal with Ursula to make that happen? With some help from an unexpected friend, her wish might just come true...
1. Chapter 1

The Little Mermaid

The red-haired mermaid had always longed to become part of the human world. She collected various trinkets, such as forks, paintings, and even a statue, to stay connected to this world. The mermaid felt like a prisoner under the water, kept their by her domineering father. Ariel was her name, and she longed for a man she had seen various times before.

Prince Eric enjoyed a rather privileged life in the castle of his father, the King of Denmark. It was located right on the coast near Copenhagen Harbor. The prince loved to go sailing in the antique wooden ships, even when it was stormy outside. He had been given the finest education available and was groomed to one day be king.

The royal family had a number of relatives across the globe, none of which they felt closer to than the Aurelius family that resided in New York State. Caroline and William Aurelius had emigrated from Italy to the United States nearly three decades before, and still had royal titles. Their only child, a boy they named Trajan, had inherited his father's title as prince. They reared him in luxury with their family money, intending for him to return to Italy and re-assume the family's political power there, but he had other ideas.

Trajan had a deep interest in military matters, so much so that he went to West Point and graduated with honors. His parents reluctantly supported him in his decision to enlist in the 10th Mountain Division. In six years of service, he had become one of the top snipers in the entire division and had proved himself on deployment in Afghanistan. The military assigned him various targets to take out, which he did with utter stoicism. Trajan was rumored to have killed as many as 80 enemy combatants. His seemingly utter lack of emotion and exploits resulted in him being feared by many, but respected by all.

Eric and Trajan were cousins and had known each other since childhood. Their relationship had started off well, but had gradually deteriorated as both men grew into their 20s. Trajan disdained what he perceived as Eric's silver spoon lifestyle, while Eric tried to connect to his stoic cousin. It was in that spirit that he and his king father invited Trajan to spend a couple of weeks at their castle. The sniper was reluctant to leave his routine lifestyle that he had settled into while being stationed at Fort Drum in New York, but decided to leave on his furlough after the king told him he would owe him a favor if he came.

Eric eagerly awaited the arrival of his cousin at the airport. Sure enough, a brooding Trajan stalked through the gates.

"Ah, cousin, it's so good to see you again. Here, let the servants take your bags," Eric greeted him enthusiastically.

Trajan spoke so softly Eric could barely hear him, "I appreciate the hospitality, but I can handle my own things just fine. Let's just go to the castle."

Eric thought he detected a hint of sarcasm in Trajan's voice, but shrugged and led him to the limo that took them to the castle.

While on the ride to their destination, Trajan looked sternly at Eric, "Are your noble friends going to talk shit about me again?"

"What do you mean?" the startled prince asked.

"I hear them talking about me every time I visit. 'He's so unrefined. The man is nothing more than a barbarian. Why do his fellow soldiers call him Psycho?' It pisses me off…"

"I'll tell them to be quiet."

"A lot of good that will do, but thanks for the thought."

Eric grew concerned, "You know Trajan, it wouldn't hurt you to relax more. Why don't you come with me on one of my ships tonight? It's supposed to be stormy, so we'll have an adventure!"

"Oh fine, but only because you'll keep nagging me. That ship better be stable, or you'll have to explain to the U.S. government why one of their snipers is missing. That sort of thing doesn't sit well with them," Trajan relented.

Eric nodded, grateful that his cousin would come along.

Eric, Trajan, the king and queen, and the palace nobles sat down to eat a scrumptious feast prepared by Chef Louie. The dinner passed amicably until one of the nobles decided to ask Trajan directly how many terrorists he had killed in Afghanistan.

The sniper answered calmly, "A lot." With that curt reply, nobody decided to shoot their mouth off for the rest of the dinner.

"How many of you are up for a nighttime sail?" Eric jovially asked the whole table.

Many of the nobles agreed to go after dessert.

When Chef Louis came out to serve the dessert, Trajan excused himself, "Nothing against you Louis, but there's something I have to do."

Everyone was finishing dessert when some of the nobles expressed surprise. Trajan walked past in a wetsuit while holding a scuba helmet. Some of them laughed nervously, while Eric had a look of embarrassment on his face.

He confronted his cousin, "What the hell are you doing?! Are you trying to irritate everyone?" "I'm just being prepared should the worst happen, which it probably will knowing you. I paid one of my Navy Seal buddies to custom-make one for exactly this type of scenario," the soldier answered in a very serious tone.

"You're impossible!" Eric threw up his hands.

"I'll see you on the ship!" Trajan called back as he walked outside.

Ariel had surfaced in anticipation of the prince's sail. She always loved this part of the week when she could get a closer look at her crush. The mermaid was surprised to see a man who appeared to be a few years older than the prince boarding the ship clad in full diving gear.

"I wonder who that is. Perhaps a relative of Eric?" she thought to herself.

She watched as Eric, the crew, and the nobles boarded the wooden frigate. It was raining, but the sea was not terribly choppy. Ariel swam closer to the ship.

Eric stood next to Trajan on the bow of the ship.

The prince decided to ask a fateful question, "Why is it that your men call you Psycho? I have to know."

"I don't think you want to know the answer to that question," his cousin replied.

"Try me."

"Fine. They call me Psycho because I show no emotion or remorse when I kill an enemy or after the fact. Some of them say I actually enjoy it."

"Do you?"

"If it means one less terrorist for the world to deal with, then yeah, I guess I do enjoy it."

"So you have no regrets about taking lives?"

"No, I don't. The lives I save vastly outnumber those I kill. That is my solace," Trajan stated firmly.

Eric didn't press the matter further after that defiant response. His cousin walked over to the mast of the ship and began to climb. He didn't stop until he reached the crest, and sat on top of the wooden beam holding the sail in place.

Ariel looked up and saw Trajan at the top of the mast, "He's a daring one for sure."

She turned her attention back to the prince, "If I only could be human…"

Trajan was enjoying his open-air seat, even with the rain, when a crackle of thunder was heard not too far away.

"That's not good," he said to himself. Immediately, he began to climb down the mast while Eric beckoned to him to get down as fast as possible.

"Do you have any idea how stupid it was to climb that thing in this weather?" the prince chastised him as his feet hit the deck.

The soldier rolled his eyes, "Dude, do you have any idea what kind of things 10th Mountain units do? Climbing a mast is a cakewalk compared to some of the shit I've done while on duty." "Don't call me dude. You know I hate that. Besides, I'm not the one climbing a mast that's all slippery," Eric retorted.

Trajan shrugged and looked out to the sea, "Those waves are starting to look pretty ugly. Maybe you should think about telling the captain to head back to port."

Eric nodded, "I was just thinking that myself. I'll go tell him, but you head to the cabins where it's safe."

The ship began to rock unsteadily more and more as the waves became bigger and more intense. Trajan dashed off to the cabins while Eric made his way to the bridge.

Ariel watched all of this unfold as the sea became ever more turbulent. She had been sitting on a perch on the upper part of the ship's hull.

"I hope nothing happens to Eric! The ship's never been in this much trouble before," the mermaid thought as she struggled to maintain her balance.

She looked over the railing and saw the same man who had been on the mast earlier running to the cabins when a monstrous wave swamped the ship and sent him hurtling into the sea.

Trajan saw the world spin upside down as he was thrown into the cold waters. He fought valiantly to keep his head above water and take breaths, since his scuba headgear had been knocked away from him. He tried to swim back towards the ship, but the sea was far too rough. The vessel took on more and more water and began to lurch towards the starboard side.

"Oh God no!" Trajan yelled as the ship capsized. Summoning all his energy, he swam hard against the waves and got to within a few dozen feet of the sinking frigate.

As the ship began to go down, Eric ushered the nobles and crew into the life raft. In spite of the surging seas, he somehow managed to get them in safely.

The captain was the last one in, "Eric, come on! You have to get in!"

"I need to find Trajan! He could still be on the ship!" the prince shoved the life raft away amid the pleas of the nobles for him to save himself. He ran into the cabins despite the ship's rapid descent into the depths.

"Damn it! Trajan must have gone overboard!" Eric could only save himself now.

He climbed back onto the deck, which was barely above water. Before he could jump off with his life jacket, a massive wave engulfed him and sent the prince crashing into the ocean.

Ariel had jumped off the perch as the ship's rocking became too unstable, and fervently watched for any sign of the prince. She had seen the nobles and crew escape safely, but saw no sign of Eric.

"Where is he?!" the mermaid fervently searched the water for him.

At last, Ariel saw him rapidly sinking into the sea. She rapidly swam towards the unconscious prince and caught him before he could sink any further.

It took all her strength just to get him to the surface, "I don't know I can get him to shore, but I have to try!"

With every part of her body aching, she furiously began to swim the dozen miles to shore, holding him with both hands.


	2. Chapter 2

Trajan managed to grab onto a loose piece of wood that had broken off the sinking ship, holding on for dear life as the waves submerged him again and again. It was at this moment that instinct began to kick in and his military background came into play.

He kicked hard and fast to make progress through the rumbling waves. At this point, he was going on adrenaline and just kept swimming. After what seemed like eternity, the waves at last began to shrink and lose their intensity. Hours passed by as he kept going, and at last the sea became calm again with the fading of the wind and rain.

Despite feeling that he could go on no longer, Trajan kept going, stopping to rest on the board for brief periods.

Several hours had elapsed when he finally sighted land, "Thank God for that! I don't think I could have gone on for much longer."

Ariel battled against the churning seas as exhaustion began to set in. The combined efforts of carrying Eric and swimming against the waves had broken her down physically. Thankfully, she knew of a rocky shoal that she could put the prince down to rest on. She reached it and after setting Eric down on a rock, plopped down on another rock to catch her breath. After fifteen minutes or so, she grabbed him and began the long journey to shore.

Eric's cousin let the sea slowly float him in toward shore before finally reaching a point at which he could stand. Trajan gingerly made his way onto the sandy beach before collapsing. He fought the blackness that surged over him and barely managed to stay awake.

It was with an almost impossible effort that Ariel got Eric to shore. She put him down on the sand before sitting down herself for some much-needed rest.

The mermaid kept watch over him for two hours. She began to sing softly.

Eric slowly opened his eyes and faintly saw the beautiful red-haired Ariel singing to him when a shout interrupted them, "Eric! Are you here?"

She quickly jumped into the water and hid behind a large rock several yards away as the man she had seen in the mast earlier came charging down the slope.

It was with a flood of relief that Trajan spotted Eric lying on the sand.

He rushed over to him, "Are you okay? Any trouble breathing?"

The prince took his cousin's outstretched hand and managed to get up and sit down on a rock formation, "That girl, did you see her?"

"What girl? I didn't see anyone here except you."

"She had red hair and had the most beautiful voice. I think she was singing to me…"

Trajan shook his head, "Eric, you're either delirious or that girl is one hell of a getaway artist. Either way, I have to get you to a hospital. We're in the middle of frickin nowhere."

Eric resisted the attempt to drag him away from the sea, "What about the girl? Shouldn't we look for her?"

"There was no redhead on the ship, so she's not a castaway. That's if you weren't imagining her."

"Maybe I was imagining her, but she seemed so real."

"Look, I'm getting you to a hospital whether you like it or not. We can come back and look for this—girl later. Believe me, I know how to remember locations. That's one of the many things the 10th Mountain drilled into my head."

Eric reluctantly let Trajan walk him away from the beach and for the long walk back to Copenhagen.

Ariel had been watching this interaction with great interest, "So Eric saw me after all… And his relative is a soldier. I have to find out more, but how can I become human?"

Prince Eric was kept overnight at the hospital for observation, but was otherwise alright. Trajan stayed with him all night along with the king and queen, who vowed they would ban their son from sailing in bad weather ever again. Once Eric was released, they all returned to the castle in the early afternoon.

His cousin sat down, alone in his thoughts, "And to think the only reason I went on the ship was to prevent him from drowning, and I couldn't do that."

"It wasn't your fault," the king had overheard him.

"I wish it was that easy to convince myself of that," Trajan replied solemnly.

"There was nothing you could do about the wave that sent you overboard. It's my fault for not putting my foot down and keeping him from sailing in that weather," the king lamented.

"No one was killed, so one can take solace in it."

"How did Eric end up on the shore anyway?"

"You know, he said something about a red-haired girl singing to him. I thought he was being delirious, but maybe there's more to the story."

"It's worth pursuing."

"I'll see what I can find out," Trajan promised the king.

Ariel knew that her father, King Triton, would never agree to turn her human. That left only one other option.

"I have to go to Ursula. I know it's a risk, but she's the only one who can help me," the mermaid reasoned.

Her mind made up, she snuck away from the kingdom and made her way, along with her friend Flounder the fish and Triton's advisor Sebastian the crab, toward the Seawitch's lair.

"Who is that approaching? Flotsam and Jetsam, go guide whoever it is to here!" Ursula sent her pet eels out to meet Ariel.

They led her into the sinister-looking lair.

She cautiously approached the many-tentacled Ursula, "I came here hoping you could help me?" "Of course, my child. What is it that you desire?" the Seawitch asked in a soothing tone.

"I want to become human. There is a man that I love…"

"Ah, so it's love you're after? I can help you with that, for a price of course."

Ariel's eyes lit up, "You can turn me human?"

Ursula leered, "Of course, but you have to give me something in return."

"Of course, what do you want?"

"Your voice."

"My voice?"

"Yes, it is the most melodious thing in the ocean, and I want it?"

"How am I supposed to win over the prince without my voice?"

"Use your feminine wiles, silly," Ursula laughed.

"I don't know about this…" Ariel was having second thoughts.

"I tell you what. If you can get the prince to kiss you within three days, then your voice will be returned to you and you will be a human for good. If not, then you still get your voice back and revert back to being a mermaid. You do want to be human, don't you?"

"More than anything in the world!"

"Then sign this contract I have," Ursula used her magic to write out the deal on paper. She handed the pen to her.

Ariel hesitated as the contract glowed in a yellow line, but the urge to become human was too much. She signed the contract, much to the dismay of Sebastian and Flounder.

Ursula began to laugh evilly as a beam of light manifested itself and reached into Ariel's throat. She could feel a painful wrenching as she felt her voice leave her. Then her fin separated and formed two legs. Realizing her need for air, she choked and desperately tried to adapt to swimming with her new legs.

Flounder and Sebastian gave her some much-needed assistance, and she was barely able to get to the surface. Gasping for air, she struggled towards the far-off shore. Ariel kicked with her legs while Flounder and Sebastian pulled her. After a long ordeal, they finally got to the beach near the castle. She sat on the ground and regained her energy.

Eric's dog always loved to frolic on the beach under the watchful eye of his master. The prince heard some barking and walked down the hill to see what the dog was barking at. Much to his surprise, he saw a red-haired girl of about seventeen years resting on the sand.

"She looks so familiar. She couldn't be, could she?" Eric contemplated the sight.

He rushed over to her, "Are you okay?"

She nodded.

"Were you the girl who was with me after the shipwreck?"

Ariel tried to speak, but couldn't no matter how hard she tried.

"You can't speak?"

She shook her head reluctantly.

Bitterly disappointed, Eric tried to make the best of the situation, "I thought for sure you were her. Oh well, you look like you could use some food and clothes. Would you like to go to my home?"

Ariel nodded excitedly.

He took her by the arm and led her to the castle.

Trajan had been shooting his sniper rifle at the royal firing range. He came back inside to wash the residue off his hands.

The soldier opened the door to the bathroom in his guest quarters, "Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't think there was anyone in here."

A beautiful red-haired woman in an ornate pink gown turned around with a meek smile, twirling her hair with a fork.

Trajan thought for a second, "Red hair? Could she be the woman Eric was talking about?"

"Are you the girl who saved Eric?"

She nodded. "I thought there was more to what he told me! Did you sing to him?" he pressed the issue.

Again Ariel shook her head in the affirmative.

A chill went down his spine, "Did you lose your voice recently?"

He received another nod, "How?"

She shrugged, knowing that she couldn't make him understand, even with gestures.

"Is there any way to get it back? Medical treatment or something?"

Ariel made a kissing gesture.

Trajan picked up on it immediately, "You have to kiss the prince? Is this some sort of magic?" She nodded again.

"This can't be true. There no such thing as magic!" he thought. "Then again, if spiritual mediums are for real, why can't this be? I'm just going to have to take this as it comes," he concluded in his mind.

"Have you eaten yet?"

Ariel shook her head in the negative.

"Then let's get you something to eat. That crazy chef always leaves my meals just outside my room, even though I keep telling him I can cook my own food," the mermaid smiled at his comment.

Trajan ate with Ariel at the large table in the guest quarters. When she was finished, he got a pencil and paper, "Can you write?"

Ariel took the pencil.

"What's your name?"

She wrote on the paper.

"Ariel… That's a beautiful name. Mine is Trajan By the way, where are you from?"

The mermaid wrote again.

"Atlantica? Where is that?"

He watched her write, "The sea? You're not a-a mermaid, are you?"

Ariel nodded.

"This is some seriously weird shit…" Trajan thought.

"Okay, how did you become human?"

She scribbled some more, "Ursula made you a deal? Who is Ursula?"

Ariel made an ugly face, "Ah, she's a witch. Okay, assuming I believe you, what did the deal include?"

He read her neat handwriting, "Your voice in exchange for legs, and three days to get my cousin to kiss you? Sounds easy enough. He's crazy about you."

She wrote one last time, "He doesn't know I'm the woman who saved him because I can't speak. This situation just keeps getting better. He'll never believe me if I tell him the truth, but I can help you, uh, win him over. I'm not an emotional fellow, but I'll try my best."

Ariel hugged him when she heard him agree to help her. She got up and beckoned him to come with her to presumably go see the prince.

It was then that Trajan felt an emotion he had never truly experienced. He realized that he liked Ariel very much.

Eric turned around to see Ariel and Trajan walking toward him, "I see you met my cousin. Is he as cold-blooded as he seems?"

Trajan shot him an annoyed look.

"I'm kidding. He's a good guy. How are you?" he asked her.

She smiled and nodded.

"The young woman wishes to get to know you better. Perhaps a private dinner later on," the soldier hinted.

"I'd like that very much," the prince beamed. He took Ariel's hand and led her outside to spend some quality time with her.

With her knowledge of Eric's likes and dislikes supplied to her by Trajan, Ariel got along with him very well. Even though she couldn't speak, her gesturing and hints from the prince's soldier cousin allowed her to communicate with him.

On the second day since meeting him, Ariel was taken on a rousing carriage ride of Copenhagen and the surrounding countryside. At some points, the ride was more hair-raising with her taking the reins.

Meanwhile, Trajan was trying very hard to suppress his feelings for Ariel. Even his cold sniper mentality could not completely drown out his attraction to her. He admired her for her boldness, intelligence, cheerfulness, and her overall saucy nature. The mermaid's beauty certainly didn't hurt either.

"No, I can't feel these things. She loves Eric, not me," he tried to rationalize the situation. Frustrated that he couldn't get Ariel out of his head, he shouldered his sniper rifle and headed to the firing range to ease his turmoil.

With the carriage ride over, Ariel and Eric arrived back at the castle. Hearing the familiar sound of gunshots, they walked to the range and saw Trajan coolly pumping lead into various targets. The prince noticed that his cousin seemed a bit agitated, "Are you okay, Trajan? Something eating at you?"

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"I said I'm fine!" an exasperated Trajan reiterated in a more aggressive tone. He let fly a shot that literally tore apart the target, "Now I feel better."

"Alright, but dinner will be ready soon," Eric patted his cousin on the back and walked back toward the castle.

The soldier sat down on a bench and took a few deep breaths to calm himself down.

Ariel joined him and took the familiar pencil and paper out of her dress pocket. She smiled at him as she handed him a note, "Thanks for being such a great friend to me. You've helped me out so much with Eric. I might be able to get my voice back tonight."

"That's great news Ariel. It's been great being your friend as well. Let me walk you back to the castle," he escorted her inside.

Ariel had begun to suspect that Trajan had romantic feelings for her.

His frenzied shooting at the range had tipped her off, "That has to be what's upsetting him. I have to let him down easy, but how?" She paced back and forth, trying to figure out how to resolve the situation.

Ursula had been watching all these events through her magical seashell that was many times the size of an ordinary one, "Ariel and Eric have become closer sooner than I thought. I must keep them from kissing tonight. That Trajan could prove to be an obstacle. I must find some way to neutralize him. Flotsam, Jetsam! I suspect the lovers will be going to a nearby inlet tonight. Make sure they don't do anything more than stare at each other." The two eels nodded and swam off to carry out their mistress' orders.

Eric and Ariel had left for their leisurely boat ride on the inlet shortly after dinner. Trajan had sat down on a recliner in the lounge, reading a book.

"Reading can suppress the emotions, but it can never make it go away," a voice interrupted him. Trajan looked up to see the king sitting across from him, "It's nothing."

"Don't lie to me, nephew. Give an old man some credit. I've been around long enough to see when someone is struggling with romantic feelings."

"I can't act on it. It would hurt Eric too much, and I won't do that to my cousin."

"My son's happiness means the world to me, but you've always been like a second son to me. I can't see you tear yourself up like this and not say anything."

"What would you have me do? Tell her how I feel?"

"Yes, and it would take a large weight off your shoulders. Eric might get upset, but he'll understand."

"I'm not sure it's such a good idea…" "It's better than living the rest of your life wondering what could have been," the king remarked.

Trajan sighed, "I'll think about it."

Eric had finally learned Ariel's name at the inlet. The two of them were surrounded by singing sea creatures, which Sebastian had arranged for and Eric was somehow oblivious to. They were about to kiss when their boat was knocked over. Flotsam and Jetsam slithered away from the inlet. Ariel and Eric's moment was ruined, but they did enjoy some laughter.

"Excellent work, my dears!" Ursula praised her beloved eels. "Now to win over the prince myself and eliminate Trajan for good." She slithered to the surface and into shallow water, where she then used her magic to transform into a beautiful brunette woman.

Ariel was using Trajan's bathroom again, changing into her sleeping attire.

As she opened the door to leave, she was surprised to see him sitting on a sofa.

He was reading again, but put the book down, "Ariel, there is something I need to tell you… If you're going to keep your legs and get your voice back, you have to kiss Eric tonight or tomorrow. Your time is running out."

She smiled and made a gesture as if to say, "Don't worry about it. I'll be fine."

Eric was outside, enjoying the night air before heading off to bed. There was a beautiful sound that came to his attention, "That voice! That's the vice that was singing to me." He ran down to the beach in the direction of the voice and saw a lovely brunette woman.

Ursula stifled a laugh as she used Ariel's stolen voice to cast a love spell on the prince.

He came and looked into her eyes, "It was you… What is your name?"

"Vanessa," the Seawitch replied in a sultry voice.

"Come with me to the castle," Eric didn't waste any time.

"I'd be happy to," Vanessa happily accompanied him to the castle.

Ariel was looking forward to sleeping with the prince in his bed for the first time. She was happily playing with her hair to pass the time until he came back. All of a sudden, a brunette woman came through the threshold, and Eric was with her.

The mermaid was shocked, "What is he doing?!" She turned from her thought for a moment to see the brunette shove her aside and Eric remain oblivious to Ariel's presence. They started kissing. When Ariel angrily grabbed the prince's shoulder to confront him, she was ignored. Heartbroken, the mermaid ran away.

Trajan was lying down to get some sleep when he felt a sudden rustling of the sheets on his bed, "What the hell?"

He turned over to see a distraught Ariel nestling under the covers. She was sobbing a great deal. He knew better than to ask her what had happened, "It's alright Ariel. I'm here for you."

She buried her head in his chest while he cradled her in his arms.

The sniper watched over the mermaid as she cried herself out and eventually fell into a slumber. He did as well soon after.


	3. Chapter 3

Ariel and Trajan slept until eight in the morning. He woke up to find no one next to him. Scanning the room, he saw Ariel getting dressed. Much to his surprise, she was putting on some of his clothes.

Trajan laughed, "You are an interesting person, Ariel. I will say that."

Ariel smiled, feeling comfortable in pants and a long-sleeved shirt. She sat next to Trajan on the bed, her expression changing to one of disappointment.

"Eric betrayed you, didn't he?" the sniper asked the fateful question.

The mermaid nodded.

He handed her the pencil and paper, "Tell me what happened. All of it."

She spent a minute or two writing, "You were waiting for him in the bedroom, and all of a sudden he came in with a brunette and started making out with her? That's unusual, even for him. I've never known him to be a spontaneous playboy."

Ariel made an angry face, which Trajan took personally, "I'm going to kick his ass!"

He stormed out of the room, bare-chested and wearing sweat pants. She followed him closely.

The prince's cousin barreled through the doors to Eric's bedroom, intent on confronting him. "What are you doing in here? Get out!" the prince shouted at him.

He had been up for a few minutes, while Vanessa was in the bathroom freshening up.

An angry Trajan got right in Eric's face, "Not until you give me some answers, you slimy asshole!" Ariel was standing at the sniper's side as all hell was about to break loose.

Eric took a swing at his cousin. "Bad idea!" Trajan ducked the blow and pinned him against the wall. She couldn't help but feel a little satisfaction about what was happening.

"Why did you cheat on Ariel?! You broke the poor girl's heart. She came to me last night and cried for almost two hours!" he yelled.

"Who's Ariel? I don't know who you're talking about!" the prince replied.

"Don't play dumb with me, shithead! You better come up with some kind of explanation right now! My patience is wearing thin."

"I really don't know who this Ariel is. All I can tell you is that I was with Vanessa last night. I don't remember anything else!"

Trajan noticed something odd in Eric's eyes, "Are you on something?"

The prince recoiled, "No, I'm not on anything! Now will you please let me go?!" His soldier cousin let go and walked out of the room with Ariel.

She gave him a questioning look as if to say, "What just happened there?"

He turned to her, "There was something off in his eyes. I think he was on some kind of drug or something. We'll figure it out later. I just need to get changed and then we'll eat and plan our next move."

The mermaid and sniper sat outside on the rocky beach, trying to figure out why Eric had acted the way he did. Trajan had seen many soldiers abuse drugs, but could not think of any that made a person act the way his cousin had.

Ariel racked her brain, trying to think of anything that had stood out. It was then that she remembered something. She took a shell from the wet sand and put it on her neck.

He noticed her gesture, "A necklace?"

She nodded.

"This woman had a shell necklace around her neck?"

Once again, Ariel nodded. Trajan's face paled at this realization, "Ariel, go to the castle guardhouse and stay there! I'll be back as soon as I can."

She looked at him in bewilderment. "Just go!" he ordered her. Ariel walked away and headed for the guardhouse while Trajan prepared for a showdown.

Vanessa was admiring her reflection in the mirror, "That was easier than I thought, breaking up Ariel and Eric. Just one more day and I will keep her voice for good!"

"You still have one problem left to deal with, Vanessa, or should I say Ursula," a voice interrupted her.

"Trajan… You're smarter than I gave you credit for," she remarked sarcastically.

Trajan glared at her, "You put my cousin under a spell and forced him to have sex with you! Not only that, you emotionally crippled Ariel! Did you really think I wouldn't put two and two together?"

"It would have made it easier to kill you if you hadn't, but I'll improvise."

"Ursula, I'm going to give you one chance to leave peacefully and return Ariel's voice to her. If you don't, then I will make your life a living hell!"

Ursula, still staring at the mirror, reached sneakily for a dagger, "You have the nerve to challenge me?! I have more power than you could even fathom!"

Trajan was unfazed, "That doesn't mean you can't die. And I know a lot of ways to kill someone…"

She pulled out her dagger, "I'm going to gut you and feed your remains to my eels!"

The sniper took out a Beretta pistol, "Nice try, but this beats a knife every time. You're going to leave right now and give Ariel her voice back. Now drop the knife!"

The Seawitch shot a bolt of magic energy at him.

Trajan just managed to avoid it.

Ursula, still in her human form, charged at him and knocked him against the wall. She tried to plunge the dagger into his chest, but he caught her hand and head-butted her. Having the advantage, Trajan let loose with a blistering right hook that sent Ursula crashing into the mirror. She retaliated with a kick to the gut and then grabbed his neck. He flung her to the ground and went to grab the knife from her. Ursula connected this time with a magic bolt that doubled Trajan over. She raised the dagger to finish him, but again he blocked it and kicked her in the shin. He put her in a chokehold to render her unconscious, but she elbowed him in the stomach and went for a third knife slash. This time she sunk the blade deep into Trajan's abdomen. He gasped and then sank to the ground, bleeding profusely.

Ursula laughed, "Enjoy your last moments of life. You failed to save Ariel, and now I will enslave the prince at our wedding and take over the sea!" She left Trajan lying in his own blood.

Ariel began to worry after a half hour had passed and Trajan still had not returned. She decided to go and find him in the castle. Two of the guards followed her to make sure nothing had gone wrong. She suspected he had gone to confront Vanessa, and headed there immediately.

As she approached the quarters, she began to see blood on the floor, "No! Please let Trajan be okay!"

The guards began to ready their rifles in anticipation of what they would find on the other side of Vanessa's door. Ariel pushed the door open. She very nearly fainted with what she saw.

Her soldier friend was unconscious and bleeding from a sucking stomach wound. The mermaid knew a little about first aid from her observations of humans, so she ripped off a large piece of fabric from the window curtain. She wrapped it up and stuck it into his wound, hoping to stem the bleeding.

Meanwhile the guards had called for a medevac to take the fallen sniper to the hospital. Ariel kept direct pressure on the wound until the helicopter arrived and the paramedics took over. Once the bleeding was fully stemmed, they put Trajan on a stretcher and placed him in the helo. There was just enough room for the mermaid to come along, while the guards went off to report what had happened to the king and queen.

The severely wounded Trajan was rushed into surgery, where he was operated on for several hours. Ariel feverishly waited for any news along with the king and queen, who had notified his parents to what had happened. He was still in surgery when Caroline and William arrived to see their son. An FBI agent named Musial was with them, since an attack on an American serviceman was grounds for U.S. jurisdiction. After the entire group had waited for what seemed like forever, a doctor finally came out.

"Will he be alright?" a distressed Caroline asked.

"We had to replace the blood he lost and repair severe damage to the intestines, but the prognosis is good," the doctor answered.

"Thank God!" his mother was relieved.

"When can we see him?" William added.

"I'll let you know," the physician replied.

Agent Musial took the doctor aside, "Make sure it's soon as possible. I need to catch whoever did this to him. An attack like this on one of our country's soldiers will not be tolerated by the U.S. government. They're prepared to bring in a much heavier presence if necessary." The doctor nodded and went to check on Trajan.

Ariel breathed a sigh of relief, "I thought for sure he was gone. Look at this mess I've created…" Her thought was interrupted by Caroline, "Hello there. Do you mind if I ask how you know my son?"

The red-head wrote on a piece of paper.

"Oh, you can't speak. I'm sorry, my child. Let's see what this says. Your son is a dear friend. I'm happy to hear that."

Meanwhile, William was chewing out the king and queen, "How could you let this happen to Trajan? My son was under your protection, and you failed him!"

Caroline intervened, "Please William. This won't help anyone. Our son is alive. Let's concentrate on that."

Agent Musial had seen Ariel and Caroline's interaction. Knowing she couldn't speak, he approached her, "Hi Ariel. I'm FBI Special Agent Musial. Do you think you can write down what you saw and think happened? Anything would be helpful."

She obliged him, and spent several minutes writing about how she thought Vanessa had stabbed him, her dealings with the Seawitch, and the scene of the horrific crime.

Agent Musial read over it, "Thanks Ariel. This will be very helpful." He pondered what she had written. The U.S. government had long suspected mermaids and other sea folk had existed off the coast of Denmark, but never had any solid proof until now. There would be many higher-ups who would be interested in what she had to say, perhaps even the President.

After a wait of two more hours, the doctor informed the group that Trajan was awake and could receive visitors. William barred the king and queen from entering, something his wife did not like very much. Ariel, Agent Musial, Caroline, and William all gathered around the sniper's hospital bed.

Trajan grinned as he took in the sight, "I'm glad to see all of you too."

"You had us going there for a while. We were afraid you wouldn't make it," his father told him. Caroline hugged her son, "You know, the doctor told us that you would have died had it not been for Ariel. That girl saved your life."

Trajan smiled at Ariel, "Thank you for that. I can't begin to think of how I will repay you."

The mermaid returned his smile, feeling somewhat out of place with his family in the room.

"If you're up for it, can you tell me what exactly happened, at least as much as you remember?" Agent Musial asked.

Caroline interrupted, "Is now really the best time?"

Trajan waved her off, "It's fine. I can handle it, but you and dad shouldn't be in the room to hear this. It's not pretty."

"But-," Caroline was gently led out of the room by her husband.

"Let's respect our son's wishes," he whispered to her.

Agent Musial looked at the mermaid and sniper, "It's good I have the two of you in here. That way, I can corroborate what Ariel already told me."

"What exactly did she tell you?" Trajan asked nervously.

"Everything, from her deal with Ursula to her finding you bleeding to death."

"I'm surprised you actually believe all of this."

"Trajan, let's just say us feds know a lot more about merpeople and seawitches than we let on. Now I want you to tell me what happened, starting with when you met Ariel."

He told the FBI agent everything he could recall, including the brutal fight with Ursula.

Musial compared his notes, "That's very good. Both your accounts match up perfectly. I appreciate both of your testimonies. Now if you will excuse me, I have to go arrange a top-secret manhunt with FBI swat teams and Danish police." He left Ariel and Trajan alone.

Ursula had acted quickly after stabbing Trajan. She had cleansed herself of his blood with her magic, and kidnapped the royal priest. She spent the next several hours laying her plans for a night wedding on the royal ship, including placing fabricated calls for catering and flowers. The witch kept Eric in the dark about all this as night fell.


	4. Chapter 4

Trajan looked up at the clock in his room, "It's 11:57 pm. In three more minutes, you become a mermaid again. There has to be some way to stop that…"

Ariel looked at him, resigned to her fate. She stared into his eyes and found her gaze was returned.

Both of them leaned in, and their lips touched.

Ariel and Trajan shared a long and passionate kiss.

They at last separated as the clock struck midnight. Ariel felt a sensation flowing through her body. She sighed unhappily at the thought of turning back into a mermaid.

Trajan watched closely as Ariel prepared for the transformation. Much to her surprise, the sensation flowed not into her legs but her throat. A melodious sound began to echo as the mermaid regained feeling in her throat.

Ariel opened her mouth and sang a small note.

"Amazing… Your voice is that of an angel. I have never heard anything so beautiful in my life," Trajan marveled at her voice.

"I'm so happy right now! I don't understand how it happened, but I'm glad it did," Ariel gushed. She checked her lower body just to be sure.

"You're still human, you know," the sniper pointed out.

"It's so wonderful, but I don't understand how this could have happened. I had to kiss the prince to get my voice back and stay human. This doesn't make any sense," the now-human Ariel pondered.

"Did Ursula say directly that you had to kiss Eric in particular?"

"No, she just said the prince." "That's interesting," Trajan barely managed to conceal a smile. Ariel's eyes lit up, "Wait, you're a prince?!"

"My father was a legitimate prince of Italy before he emigrated to the U.S. When I was born, he officially passed his title to me. It's not something I choose to flaunt, though," he laughed.

She was taken aback, "How come you never told me any of this?"

"I didn't want to get in the way of what you and Eric have," he explained.

Ariel grimaced, "After what happened with him and Ursula, I don't feel the same way about him anymore. I know it wasn't his fault, but still…"

"I had feelings for you the first time I met you, Ariel. I didn't say anything out of respect for Eric. I had never felt something like that before. So many years of being a cold-blooded sniper made me question if I could ever feel love in my heart. It was you that changed everything for me. Ariel, I love you," Trajan stroked her hair.

"I did feel something for you, but I was so focused on Eric that I didn't see what was in front of me. As this week went by, I fought those feelings for you. Once Eric slept with Ursula, I knew that you could never do anything like that or even fall under her spell. When I saw you lying helpless on the floor bleeding, I only thought that I couldn't lose you. That was when I finally understood that I felt genuine love for you, Trajan," Ariel confessed.

He offered his hand to her, which she took and climbed into his hospital bed. She lay beside him, nestled against his chest, truly happy for the first time in weeks.

Ursula had hastily arranged for a quick wedding to Prince Eric, but her plans for using the royal ship were thwarted by a combined FBI and Danish police raid on the castle. She forced Eric and the priest to lay low with her as law enforcement searched for Trajan's assailant.

"Damn these agents! Why can't they just leave?!" she began to panic as midnight approached. When the coast was temporarily clear, she led them through the back roads to an old church. It was considered a historical site, so no one was in it.

Still disguised as Vanessa, she grabbed the priest, "Hurry up and perform this ceremony! Start with the I-dos."

"Okay, do you, Vanessa, take Prince Eric to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"Yes, hurry up!"

"Do you, Prince Eric, take Vanessa to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

Before Eric could answer, midnight struck and a sharp beam of light radiated from Vanessa's throat.

The spell on the prince was finally broken and Ursula's real voice returned.

"What the hell?! Who are you, and what am I doing here?" a bewildered Eric snapped out of his haze.

"Just say I do," Ursula demanded.

"No way, I'm in love with Ariel. I have to go find her!" the prince went off running before the Seawitch could react.

"How could this have happened? Ariel had to kiss the prince. Unless… No, that can't be!" Ursula at last realized the magnitude of what had happened.

She screamed in frustration, "Ariel! You and Trajan are going to feel my wrath!"

Eric quickly found out from the FBI agents at the castle what had happened and rushed to the hospital to see Trajan and Ariel. He entered the waiting room to see his royal parents, Caroline and William, and Agent Musial.

His father stopped him, "Are you alright? What happened to you?"

"I'll be fine. I have to see Trajan and Ariel!" the prince barged through the door to Trajan's room before anyone could stop him.

Eric was shocked at the sight that greeted his eyes. There on the hospital bed, Ariel was nestled in Trajan's arms, both of them sleeping peacefully.

The prince couldn't believe it, "She betrayed me with my cousin?!"

It was then that Ariel opened her eyes and yawned, which awakened Trajan as well.

She was startled to see the prince, "Eric, what happened to you?"

Ignoring his disheveled appearance, Eric replied, "Never mind that. How is it that you can speak now? And why are you in bed with Trajan?"

"You don't remember anything, do you?" his cousin asked.

"Remember what?"

"Apparently that Vanessa woman was a Seawitch named Ursula, and she put a spell on you to sleep with her."

"How is that even possible?"

Ariel gulped a moment before explaining, "Eric, I made a deal with her to turn me human so that I could fall in love and marry you. I had to give up my voice. The truth is… I was a mermaid." Eric couldn't believe it, "There's no such things as magic or mermaids! What are you talking about?!"

"It's true, your highness. We have checked everything. And with the evidence we already have of unusual sea life locked up in Washington, I can conclude that Ariel was a mermaid at one point," Agent Musial interrupted.

"This is crazy! Assuming I believe any of this, that still doesn't explain why you cheated on me with my own cousin!" the prince was incredulous.

"You slept with Ursula while under the influence of her spell, right in front of Ariel. It wasn't your fault, but it would be foolish to assume she would just pretend it didn't happen," Trajan defended her.

Eric was starting to lose his temper, "So that's what this is? Jealousy?!"

"Eric, I love him. I always did since I met him, but I never realized it until now," Ariel pleaded with him.

The prince scoffed, "You two deserve each other!"

"That's enough!" Caroline stood between them, "We've all had a rough day, to say the least. The time for fighting is over. There is to be no more of this!"

A fuming Eric stormed out of the room.

"I think it's best that the two of you rest," a gentle Caroline suggested.

She and Musial left the room, and Ariel and Trajan were once again alone.

A distressed Ariel hugged her new beau.

It was then that he decided to surprise her, "Ariel, we've know each other for less than a week, but I have this intoxicating feeling whenever I'm around you. I'd like that to be permanent."

She looked at him, "Are you asking me what I think you're asking?"

Trajan smiled, "Yes, I am. Ariel, will you marry me?"

Ariel's face was flushed with joy, "Yes, a thousand times yes! I will marry you!" The couple embraced with their newfound happiness.

Over the next couple of days Ariel stayed at Trajan's side as he became well enough to be discharged. Despite it being hospital policy that he had to leave in a wheelchair, he insisted on walking under his own power. With Ariel's support, he was able to limp gingerly to the hospital entrance. A waiting limousine containing his parents, Eric, and the king and queen was waiting for the couple. They got in and were driven back to the castle.

Trajan and Ariel were about to go to bed that night when his cell phone went off. He recognized the number, "I knew you'd be calling. What's the status with the manhunt?"

"We haven't had any luck at all. It's like this Ursula fell off the face of the earth," Agent Musial informed him.

"Well, she is a magical being."

"We figure the best way to get her is for you to lure her out. I also have an order directly from the Joint Chiefs authorizing you to execute her if you wish. Due to her magical powers, they deem her as a possible threat to the United States."

"That's good to know, but there is a favor I have to ask of you."

"Sure, what is it?"

Trajan spoke calmly, "I want immediate citizenship for Ariel. I anticipate her wanting to come back to the States with me, and I don't want to deal with any immigration bullshit. The young woman's been through enough already."

Musial laughed on the other line, "That's what you're worried about? With your service record, the government would give you the key to Washington itself. Consider it done."

"Thanks for that, man. I'll call you when I put together a plan to take down Ursula."

"Was that your FBI friend?" Ariel had been eavesdropping.

Trajan sighed, "Yeah, it was him. They can't find Ursula at all. I have some good news though." "What's that?"

"Ariel, would you be willing to come back to Fort Drum with me? It's across the Atlantic in the U.S. and is where my unit is stationed. I know you'll be away from your family, so if you don't want to, I'll understand."

"I would love to! I've always wanted to travel in your world and learn new things. Maybe even obtain some thingamagigs. I'll visit my family often, and there's always magic too."

"My government contacts will get citizenship for you, which means you will have the same rights and freedoms that all the people in America have."

"Is that what the people in your country are called? Americans? I like the sound of that," the word had a nice ring to her.

"Some people would argue with you on that point. Anyway, do you want to set a date for the wedding or just wait a while?"

"I want to have the wedding right now! I can't wait any longer!" Ariel was filled with joy.

Trajan hesitated, "Wouldn't it be better to wait until we're at Fort Drum, where it's safe? There's still that crazy idiot Ursula on the loose."

Despite her overwhelming desire to get married, Ariel saw the wisdom in what he said, "I suppose you're right. Isn't there any way that we can do it safely in Denmark?"

He saw a look of hope in her eyes, "There is one way…"

She waited on his suggestion, "What is it?"

"We could elope in secret. That way, we could be married without Ursula knowing and hold a formal ceremony once she's dead."

"I don't really want my father finding out about this, and my sisters disapprove of my interest in humans. I just worry that Ursula will somehow find out beforehand."

The sniper's blood began to boil, "Ursula won't live long enough to stop us. She's going to suffer for torturing you and trying to kill me."

"You're going to kill her, aren't you?" she asked.

"Her magic makes her too dangerous to be left alive. My superiors have ordered me to kill her, although not in so many words."

"Trajan, you can't go after her when you're still hurt. You'd be putting your life at great risk!" "I'm not going after her. She'll come to me when the time is right…"

Ariel slept fitfully next to Trajan, her arms wrapped around his waist. He couldn't sleep though. The sadistic side in him was forcing him to think what he would do to Ursula when he caught up with her.

"Should I execute her as the Joint Chiefs would prefer, or do I spare her life if somehow I can force her to relinquish her magic?"

Normally, he would not give a second thought to carrying out an implicit order by his superiors, especially when the target had tried to kill him. But his affair with Ariel and knowledge of her compassion and love of living things left him conflicted.

The next morning Trajan got up before Ariel and checked to see if he had any messages left on his phone. He found that he had gotten a text during the night from the commanding general of the 10th Mountain Division. It said that a Black Hawk helicopter was being dispatched from the U.S. air base in neighboring Germany to help him neutralize Ursula.

"The cavalry is coming," he laughed to himself.

He inspected his M-21 sniper rifle to make sure it was still functioning, but was surprised to find gun residue on it, "Someone else has been firing this."

His eyes immediately turned to the stirring Ariel.

She opened her eyes and saw him looking at her, "Have you been shooting this lately?"

Ariel turned red with embarrassment, "I did take it to the range. It's such an interesting thingamajig that I just had to find out how it worked. I'm sorry for not saying anything."

"I don't mind if you shoot it, but all you had to do was ask. You could have hurt yourself," Trajan replied.

She smiled at his concern for her. "Were you able to shoot it?"

"I did figure it out after a while, but I wasn't very accurate."

"Maybe I'll teach you."

"That would be great."

The sniper sat down on the bed, "So what did you want to do today?"

The former mermaid had a bubbly expression, "Let's elope! The sooner we do it, the less chance Ursula has of finding out about it and stopping us." "

Are you sure about this?"

"As sure as I can be."

"Alright, where do you want to go for it?" Ariel thought a moment, "I think the inlet where I was earlier is a beautiful place for it. What do you think?"

Trajan nodded, "That sounds good. We're going to need witnesses though…"

"What about your father and mother? They seem like wonderful people."

"I'll ask them to come to the inlet. They'll know what it's for."

"You want us to go to the inlet with you and Ariel, and bring Agent Musial with us?" William thought he was hearing things.

"That's exactly what we want. Will you do so?" Trajan stood next to Ariel.

Caroline looked at her husband, "I don't like the idea of you two rushing into marriage like this. Not to mention keeping it from Eric and his parents."

William scoffed, "We owe them nothing, especially after you were almost killed on their watch. Besides, if you and Ariel love each other…"

"I love your son very much. He helped me and believed in me when no one else would. He's the reason why I'm human now," the sea princess answered.

"Yes, Musial did tell us about the whole mermaid situation. It really is extraordinary, but that discussion is for another time. Trajan, my son, is your heart truly in this?" Caroline asked the fateful question.

He looked at his fiancee, "I wouldn't be asking if it wasn't."

His royal parents looked at each other. "Okay, then we'll go with you to the inlet, but there's a few things that need to be taken care of first," the sniper's mother replied.

His father smiled, "A few family heirlooms…"

The relentless pressure from the Danish police and FBI had forced Ursula to hide out for much longer than she had thought. Her attempt to kill Trajan had failed, and he had thwarted her plans for Ariel with true love's kiss. What she couldn't wrap her head around was the fact that he was a prince, albeit an unwilling one. The witch knew she had to kill him before he returned home to Fort Drum with Ariel.

The gushing bride-to-be was changing into her wedding dress when she heard a loud whirring outside her window. "What is that thing? It looks like a giant bird," she stared at it through the window.

"That's one way of looking at it," Ariel turned to see Trajan leaning against the doorway.

He walked over, "That thing you see is called a Black Hawk helicopter. It was sent from a base my country has in Germany, and I think you can guess the purpose."

She didn't hesitate, "I'm going to say that it's to protect us and find Ursula?"

"Yes, and hopefully its presence near the inlet will deter Ursula from attacking us if she somehow manages to find out that we're getting married."

"What are those turrets on the sides?"

"Those are the mini-guns. Let's just say Ursula would be in severe trouble if she gets on the receiving end of those."

She laughed, "Speaking of trouble, isn't it true that it's bad luck for you to see me before the wedding?"

He shrugged, "I don't give a shit about that. I'm not going to let anything happen to you, and if that means breaking superstition, then so be it."

"I'd love to go for a ride in this Black Hawk!"

"I was actually planning on doing that, so yes!"


	5. Chapter 5

William and Caroline joined them outside and boarded the helo for the short trip to the inlet. Ariel, in her golden white wedding dress, sat next to Trajan, unusually dressed for the occasion in full fatigues and a long black overcoat. Agent Musial was the last member of the group to board. Besides the pilots, there was also the crew that manned the mini-guns. Trajan and Musial were also armed in anticipation of any trouble Ursula might bring.

As the helicopter lifted off, Ariel looked at the odd sight of her fiancee shouldering a sniper rifle right before their wedding, "If you told me I'd be in this situation when I first became human, I would have said you were crazy."

Trajan laughed a little, "I was expecting a nice, boring vacation for two weeks. Instead, I end up nearly dying twice from a shipwreck and a stabbing, and now I find myself marrying a mermaid. Looks as if we both got thrown for a loop."

"Hopefully everything will go smoothly from here on out," she answered back.

He stood up and looked over the forest surrounding the inlet, "Ursula's out there, and I will kill her and end her threat to you…"

She took him by the hand and saw the icy expression on his face, "And I will be right by your side…"

Prince Eric had been stewing over losing Ariel to his own cousin. Even now, it was a difficult pill to swallow. His relationship with her had been ruined because of a twisted seawitch who had forced herself upon him using magic. He didn't understand why Ariel couldn't forgive him for that. It hadn't been his fault, but part of him empathized with her after his own anger at finding Trajan with her. Eric resolved to win her back, even at the cost of permanently severing his ties with his sniper cousin. After all, Trajan had showed him no such regard. He figured that Ariel would want to marry quickly, but didn't know when or where.

"I have to stop the wedding! Now I just have to figure out when and where it is," Eric vowed.

It was then that he heard the roaring of the Black Hawk as it landed and was stunned to see it pick up Ariel, Trajan, Caroline, William, and Agent Musial.

"That little weasel!" he blazed with anger.

Powerless to stop the helicopter from lifting off, Eric tried to figure out where it was going, "The inlet?!"

He rushed off to where he had come so close to kissing Ariel.

The Black Hawk landed a few minutes later at the inlet. Trajan helped Ariel off the bird while everyone else began to get into position.

The sniper thought he spotted something red in the helo, "What the hell is that?"

He grabbed the object and found that it was a living creature, "Why is there a crab in here?"

The pilots and crew looked at each other and shrugged.

All of a sudden, the crab began to talk, "Put me down dis instant!"

Trajan's eyes grew wide, "A talking crab?! Ariel, do you know anything about this?"

Ariel blushed, "That's my father's advisor, Sebastian. He's supposed to be keeping watch over me."

"And he would not be happy that you're marrying dis prince here," Sebastian added.

"If you call me a prince one more time…"

"What? You're going to cook me?"

The soldier replied with some wit, "Why would I do that? I don't even like crab."

Ariel took Sebastian from his hand, "He had some bad experiences with Chef Louis. You're not going to tell Daddy, will you?"

"I don't know Ariel. You're taking a big risk here."

Agent Musial walked over to Trajan, "This keeps getting weirder."

"I know. I got stabbed by a seawitch disguised as a woman. How do you think I feel?"

"Please, Sebastian? I truly am happy now," Ariel begged of the crab.

Her fiancee had had enough, "Look, I'll agree to meet Triton. Does that satisfy you?"

Sebastian saw the faces of the couple looking down at him, "Alright, but keep me out of your dealings with him."

She smiled while Trajan rolled his eyes, "I can't believe I just gave in to a crab! What is this world coming to?"

Ariel laughed and took him by the hand, "Let's get married…"

Eric was running impulsively towards the inlet as fast as he could. Off in the distance, he could see the Black Hawk orbiting around the inlet, guarding against any threat from Ursula. No matter how tired he got, the prince kept running.

Ariel and Trajan held hands as Agent Musial stood behind them.

"I've never done this before, so bare with me," the FBI officer cautioned.

The couple laughed a bit at this remark.

"Alright, we are gathered here today to unite these two in matrimony…"

Caroline and William watched with pride as Musial officiated their son's wedding to Ariel. Sebastian attempted to get the inlet sea creatures to sing, but one glare from Trajan persuaded him otherwise.

"I don't really know what comes next, so I guess the vows?" Musial guessed.

Trajan went first, "Ariel, I helped you try to win Eric over despite my desire for you. It took a lot of odd events to bring us together, but I would do it all over again. I loved you the first day we met. It's ironic since I didn't think I could feel that way anymore after being in the military for so long. You bring a light to me like that of an angel. Indeed, you are an angel to me. Nothing would make me happier than to have you as my wife…"

He paused a moment as he took out a ring that had been in the family for decades and placed it around her finger.

Ariel glowed as she took a deep breath and prepared to say her own vows, "I wanted to become human to marry Prince Eric and be a part of your world. I had to sacrifice my voice to do it, but I thought it was worth it. Unfortunately, I found myself stuck in a situation without any help. That was when you caught me in your quarters and helped me try to win over Eric. I knew that you had feelings for me and I did for you, but I wasn't willing to show it. Even then, you were there for me when he fell under the spell of Ursula. It wasn't until I thought you were dying that I realized how much I really did care for you. That kiss we shared, Trajan, finally made me understand that I do love you. I want to learn about this world and be human with you. As your wife…"

With her brilliant red hair flowing, she placed a ring that Caroline had given her around Trajan's finger.

Musial was nearly at the end, "Do you, Trajan Aurelius, take Princess Ariel as your lawfully wedded wife, to love and cherish?"

The sniper looked deep into her blue eyes, "I do."

"Do you, Princess Ariel, take Trajan Aurelius to be your lawfully wedded husband, to love and cherish?"

The princess returned his look with a joyful smile, "I do."

"Then by the power invested in me by the federal government of the United States, I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss now," Agent Musial concluded the ceremony.

"Before you do so, I'd like to give you something, Ariel," Caroline told the new bride.

She was holding a beautiful golden crown, "I want you to have my title of princess. William passed on his title to Trajan, and I now do the same."

Ariel was nearly speechless, "Th-Thank you…"

Caroline placed the crown on Ariel's head, "You look so beautiful…"

She hugged Trajan's mother, "I'll take good care of it. Thank you so much!"

The bride turned back to her groom.

"That crown does look great on you," he remarked before the two of them had a long and passionate kiss.

Eric had finally reached the inlet.

He looked and saw Trajan and Ariel kissing, "I think I'm too late, but I have to try and stop them!"

The prince ran through the thickets and came in full view of everyone.

His cousin didn't look shocked, but Ariel was, "Eric, what are you doing here?"

"Ariel, I love you. I know I said some harsh things at the hospital, but you mean the world to me! Please don't marry Trajan…" Eric pleaded with her.

"So now you have a change of heart? You said the two of us deserved each other back at the hospital," a disgusted Trajan shot back.

"I was angry that the two of you slept together, but I don't feel that way anymore."

"We didn't have sex, Eric! Ariel and I were both clothed on a bed. Honestly, you amaze me with your lack of common sense," Trajan wasn't done, "You want to know whose kiss it was that restored Ariel's voice and saved you from marrying that hag Ursula?! It was me! I cared for Ariel and helped her try to win you over, even though it killed me inside. I loved her very much, but I never acted on it until I woke up in the hospital. She saved my life, and all you could do was disrespect her!"

Eric was caught off guard by the sniper's outburst, "I'm sorry… I didn't know I hurt her so much."

Ariel stepped between the two of them, "You don't need to apologize Eric, but it's too late. We're already married."

"You can get it annulled, can't you?"

"Yes, but I don't want to. Trajan was willing to sacrifice his life to save me from Ursula. He knew Vanessa was Ursula and that I was the one who rescued you. He was there for me the entire time, Eric. I love him…"

The prince was stunned, "You don't mean that…"

Ariel looked at him, "I do. I'm sorry if I hurt you, but I want to be with him. We're leaving for Fort Drum once Ursula's been brought to justice."

"Then I'm going there too. I'll win you back, Ariel! Even if I have to join the 10th Mountain to do it," Eric refused to give up on Ariel.

This time it was Trajan's turn to be stunned, "Are you crazy? The 10th Mountain will eat you alive!"

"Whatever it takes…"

"Eric, this is going too far. You have to let this go before it destroys you."

"You already destroyed me, Trajan. You broke my trust and stole Ariel from me. I will get her back!" the prince retorted.

"Listen to yourself! Ariel's not some possession to be won or lost. She's a human being. It was her choice to love me. What she does with her life is not something you get to dictate," his cousin argued.

"Eric, you should go," Ariel interrupted in a soft voice.

"I will, but I'm not giving up on you. I love you, Ariel…" Eric reluctantly walked away.

Ariel turned back to her husband, "I know I should be feeling great right now, but I can't after that. I just feel sorry for him."

"I do too. The poor guy had his romance with you ruined by a spell and his own naiveté. I know what's he's feeling right now, because I had to fight to keep my feelings for you in check when you were with him. I could only do so because of all my years in the military and the self-control it taught. And even that was barely enough," Trajan empathized with Eric's plight.

"It seems as if I drove both of you crazy," Ariel sighed.

"There's nothing to feel guilty about. That's just how romance works. Sometimes it kicks you in the ass, and sometimes it's heaven," Trajan reassured her.

"Did you really mean it when you said you would meet my father?" she asked suddenly.

"Sure, why not? Your family should know about us. Besides, your visits to them would be really awkward if they didn't know the truth."

"It's going to be awkward enough with Eric being at Fort Drum. What if he actually joins your division?"

"He will be in for the worst time of his life. Hell, I'm lucky I made it through the training and all the missions in one piece," he replied.

"If my father finds out, he may use the Trident…"

"Do I even want to know what that is?"

"Probably not. I just think it's better if my family finds out when we're in the U.S. That will give them some time to get used to the situation and you won't be in any danger from him."

"Are you sure you want to do that?"

"It's hard, but it's for your own safety," she made up her mind.

"Alright. Let's go back to the castle," he helped her aboard the Black Hawk with his parents and the FBI agent right behind them.

"You want to do what?!" the king of Denmark could scarcely believe his ears.

Eric stood before his father, "I want to go to Fort Drum and try to get Ariel back."

"Even if that means joining the 10th Mountain Division?! Son, I know you love this girl, but do you have any idea what that unit will do to you. It turned my own nephew into a killer! Granted, a killer of terrorists and Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan, but the fact remains. He'll never be the same again. I don't want that to happen to you," the king pleaded with him.

"It might be the only way to get onto Fort Drum. I love her, dad, and she still loves me. Even if she won't admit it," the prince stood his ground.

"You realize Trajan could make your life a living hell over there even if you make it past the training. He is the most revered sniper in their history. Those men would go to the gates of hell for him, and that means they wouldn't be above harassing you if he asked them," his father grew more concerned.

"He wouldn't do that. It's not who he is. Besides, Ariel wouldn't have it even if he did," Eric persisted.

"Son, I'm not going to stop you if your heart's really in this, but for God's sake be careful," the king warned him.

"I will," the prince promised.

Ariel and Trajan had a nice candle-lit dinner before going to bed for the night. They were planning on leaving for Fort Drum the day after tomorrow. Agent Musial had already finalized the marriage license and wired it back to the military base for record-keeping. He had also arranged for Ariel's citizenship, even getting it approved by the President on the condition that high-ranking federal officials could interview the former mermaid in order to compile a history of her kind. Trajan was not aware of this last fact, and Musial feared he would rail against it if he found out.

The next morning Agent Musial was greeted at his hotel room by an unexpected visitor.

"Prince Eric… Please come in. May I ask what brings you here?"

Eric looked at him, "I want to move to Fort Drum."

"Uhh, okay. You do know you need to be military personnel or closely affiliated with personnel to be allowed on the base for any extended period of time? And I'm afraid that being a soldier's cousin won't go over particularly well for a permanent presence."

"I want to enlist in the 10th Mountain. And nothing you say will change my mind."

"Have you talked to your father about this?"

"I don't need his approval, but I have it anyway."

"Well, you need to apply at the consulate for a visa and then talk to the military recruiter there." Eric frowned, "That's funny, because I heard that Ariel got full citizenship."

Musial tried to lie, "I don't know what you're talking about…"

"You know full well what I'm talking about. I want you to do the same for me."

"Ariel is a special case. She is married to one of our country's finest soldiers and is of much informational value."

"And I'm not a special case?"

"Not really."

"Agent Musial, unless you want the American media to know about the existence of mermaids…"

"Are you blackmailing me?"

"Love will make you do crazy things," Eric laughed.

Princess Ariel and Trajan were enjoying a nice walk by the inlet. They had a good morning together, enjoying the sights and sounds of mother nature.

Trajan could not help but have a sense of unease, "I can't help the feeling that Ursula is somewhere nearby. I can almost sense her watching us."

"Then it's a good thing you have your Beretta on you," Ariel grinned.

"Look at you, learning military terminology already. I'm impressed…" he held her hand.

"You have to teach me how to shoot sometime. I want to learn."

"There'll be plenty of time for that once we get back home. I've missed New York."

Flotsam and Jetsam were indeed Ursula's eyes and ears at the inlet.

She could see what was going on through them, "So the precious little Ariel is alone with her mighty Trajan. And no one is guarding them…"


	6. Chapter 6

A big flash erupted near the thickets. The couple immediately ducked behind some rocks. "I knew it! She was watching us!" Trajan exclaimed.

Ariel took hold of her seashell bag she had been carrying, "Sorry, I couldn't help it." She pulled out his sniper rifle, which she had disassembled to fit into the bag.

"You stole my gun again?" he looked at her with surprise.

"I figured Ursula would come after us at one point or another today," she said while reassembling the barrel.

"You learn fast," he pointed his Beretta at the smoke.

"My father was right about one thing. I do love human thingamajigs, and I took a special interest in this rifle," Ariel took aim with the M-21.

Ursula wasted no time in sending magic bolts flying toward them. Trajan ducked and barely missed being hit. Ariel did the same, but fired a quick burst from the rifle. There was a temporary lull in the witch's attack and a groaning was heard.

"You said you couldn't hit anything," the sniper told her as he fired off several bursts himself. "Maybe I'm better than I thought…" Ariel kept her eyes on the scope.

Eric could hear the sound of gunshots coming from the inlet. His thoughts turned to the worst, "Ursula must be trying to kill Ariel and Trajan!" Thinking quickly, the prince grabbed his own rifle, which had been a gift from one of the nobles and had a bayonet attached. He made a dead run towards the inlet.

Ursula kept moving closer to their hiding spot, even though she had suffered several bullet wounds.

"We have to move! She's getting way too close!" Trajan yelled over the noise, "I'll provide covering fire while you move to those rocks further away."

Ariel nodded as Trajan rose up and fired a few shots. However, Ursula still managed to keep them pinned down with her magic. She was nearly on top of them when shots rang out. The witch stumbled back, nursing wounds to her shoulder.

Ariel looked across, "Eric?!"

The prince came into view holding his own rifle. Ursula sent a bolt of magic towards him, but he rolled out of the way.

"Now Ariel!" Trajan yelled. They rose up from behind the rocks and fired a huge volley that struck Ursula in the chest.

Eric rushed over and bayoneted Ursula between the ribs.

"Ahhhh!" she screamed as the blade sliced through her skin. The prince pulled out the bayonet. Ursula collapsed onto the ground, dead. Agent Musial and a large team of FBI agents and Danish police arrived almost instantly after that.

"We came as soon as we heard the gunshots, but it looks like Eric beat us to it," Musial told Trajan and Ariel.

The sniper looked at his cousin, "You saved both of us. Thank you for that… It looks like the 10th Mountain is missing out."

"Despite our differences Trajan, you're still my cousin. Are the two of you okay?" Eric asked the couple.

"I'll be alright," Ariel reassured him.

"I'm glad you're okay, Ariel. I couldn't just stand by and let the two of you fight it out alone." Trajan and Eric shook hands and took part in a mild hug.

"You know that this doesn't change things. I'm still going to fight for Ariel," the prince whispered.

"I wouldn't expect anything less. I'll see you on the plane," the soldier answered with a wry smile.

Ariel saw something, "Are those eels over there in the water?"

Eric squinted, "I think so. Why?"

"They're Ursula's. Flotsam and Jetsam are their names. They must have been watching us." "I have an idea," Trajan walked over to Ursula's body and pointed her hand at the eels.

A bolt of magic shot out and hit the eels. To Eric and Ariel's great surprise, a couple of barking Great Danes came out of the water.

"Flotsam, Jetsam! Come boys!" Trajan beckoned to them. The two dogs came bounding over and started licking Trajan's hand.

"I've always wanted Great Danes," a smiling Trajan added.

"Oh, they're cute," Ariel pet both dogs and they licked her hand as well.

"That was a smart move," Eric remarked as the dogs turned their attention to him as well.

All three of them cared for the dogs as the FBI and police set about securing Ursula's remains.

With Ursula dead, the FBI and Danish police closed the book on the case and made no mention of mermaids or sorcery. The story was that a decorated veteran and his wife had been ambushed by a maniacal woman with a weapon and that law enforcement had shot her when she refused to relinquish it. What really happened would be kept secret by all involved to protect the public from any panic or harm. Meanwhile, Agent Musial had secured U.S. citizenship for Prince Eric as well, which the feds signed off on so as not to have him reveal the existence of mermaids to the public. Ariel, Trajan, Eric, and Flotsam and Jetsam were set to depart for Fort Drum the next day.

The newlyweds enjoyed one last dinner with the king and queen. Caroline and William sat next to Eric's parents, while the prince sat near Ariel and Trajan. Flotsam and Jetsam roamed under the table, eating up any scraps.

Trajan decided to have some fun with his cousin, "Tell me Eric, how do you plan to spend your time in the 10th Mountain Division? Do you intend to win the respect of the men by showing off?"

"If it means making you look like a wuss by killing a seawitch, then yeah," Eric shot back with his own joke.

"You had some help. Ariel and I fired the volley that allowed you to bayonet her."

"Maybe so, but I got one over on you."

"Indeed you did, but the 10th is one of the most elite units in the world. One could say it's on a par with the 75th Rangers. You're going to be in for the worst ass-kicking in your life once basic training starts," the sniper needled him.

"I can handle it. Besides, I want more adventure anyway," Eric reiterated.

Trajan's tone turned to one of respect, "After what you did to save us, I have no doubt of that. Just out of curiosity, have you decided on a unit yet?"

The prince thought for a moment, "I gave that some thought, and I decided to choose the 4th Brigade."

"Oh, and what specialty?"

"I'm taking a page out of your book, Trajan. The sniper unit is the one I want. Ever since I got that rifle as a gift, I've been using it at the range."

His cousin nearly spat out his food, "You've been doing that for two years now? I remember when you got that gift."

Eric smiled, "You better believe it. And I'm choosing the 1st Regiment of the brigade."

Now it was Trajan's turn to grin, "So you're going into the sniper unit of the 4th Brigade, 3rd Regiment?"

"Yes, why?" the prince was puzzled.

"Because I command that sniper company. Say hello to your new commanding officer!" the sniper laughed.

Eric shook his head, "Oh god, what are you going to put me through?"

"Hmm, what shall I put you through? Running twenty miles a day, doing a thousand push-ups? Relax, I'm kidding. The training will be the same as any other soldier."

"You're impossible! How do your men put up with you?"

"Eric, all joking aside, my troops mean the world to me. They're almost like a second family. I may put them through the ringer, but that's only because I don't want them to get killed should they end up in a place like Afghanistan. They may call me Psycho, but any sniper has the same emotional distance as I do. You have to do that if you want to keep from destroying yourself over killing other people, even if they are terrorists or insurgents who would think nothing of killing innocents," Trajan was serious.

Eric was silent, trying to take in the importance of what was just said.

"I guess the question is, are you willing to go through all that to separate Ariel and I? Because we both know she's the reason why you're doing this," Ariel's husband looked back at her.

Eric needed only a second to answer, "I loved Ariel before you did, Trajan. And I still do. So yes, I'm willing to go through all of that for her."

The princess didn't know what to say, "I guess I'm flattered, Eric. I still love you, but not in the way you want me to…"

"Ariel, I can't force you to love me, but I hope you will of your own accord in time," the prince excused himself and went off to finish packing.

Ariel looked alarmed as Trajan sighed, "He's made up his mind. There's nothing we can do about it, sadly. I hate to see him tear himself up like this."

"I wish I could help him, but I don't think I can," she answered. The dinner went on in silence.

Trajan sat up in bed with his glasses, reading a book.

Ariel was deep in thought, "This is a really messy situation. I mean, I can understand him moving to another country to be with me, but joining the military? That's a whole another level." Her husband turned to her, "It's the only way he can stay on Fort Drum, so it kind of makes sense. He does love you. That much I'm sure of. But I love you in a way he can't. I want to be a loving husband who will listen and help you in any way I can. Encourage you in whatever you want to do. You will have my whole support in everything. I'm not sure Eric's willing to make that type of commitment."

"I think he could, but the fact that he fell for Ursula's spell so easily makes me worry. It is possible to resist her trance spells. I've seen it done before by a few mermen in my father's army. He was so blinded by his emotions that he fell right into her trap. The willpower to resist it wasn't there. I don't know if I could be with a man who fell so easily," his wife contemplated. The sniper furrowed his brow, "Eric's a good person. I have the utmost respect for him, and I hope he does well in Fort Drum."

The princess smiled a little, "You're taking the high road by not being angry with him. That takes a lot of restraint."

"To be honest with you, Ariel, I wonder sometimes why you love me. I'm a man who kills for a living, someone whose emotions are so distant that my own men call me a psycho for not feeling any remorse at all for those that I kill," he sighed.

"Trajan, I love you because you understand and empathize with me. You helped me communicate when I didn't have my voice, risked your life for me, and listened to everything I had to say. You're not emotionally distant at all. You just needed someone to bring it out in you," she put her arm around his shoulder and kissed him.

He returned her kiss and they continued this for a few minutes before falling asleep with her arms around his waist.

The next morning, Ariel and Trajan ate breakfast with everyone and traveled to the airport alone. They boarded the flight for Fort Drum and took their seats. Eric also boarded and sat a few rows behind them. Last of all, William and Caroline sat across from the newlyweds. Once the plane had received its other passengers, the pilot taxied it onto the runway and took off. The ride was fairly uneventful and lasted for about five hours before touching down on the military airfield.

Ariel's feet hit the ground of Fort Drum, New York, near the shores of Lake Ontario. She took in the sights and sounds of the sprawling base. The helicopters, trucks, barracks, houses, mess hall, other huge installations, and even a tank were all things she had never seen before. It was truly amazing.

"All of this is so new. So interesting. Can you tell me about it?" she asked her husband.

Trajan took her by the hand, "You bet I will."

Prince Eric, who was familiar with the base on his previous visits, went with them as his cousin explained to Ariel all of the buildings and vehicles she had seen. He knew that the odds were stacked against him with being on Trajan's home turf and the physical trials and tribulations that were to come, but he also knew that he loved Ariel. He was going to do this, and win back Ariel's heart.

Lieutenant Trajan Aurelius, as his men knew him, and Princess Ariel Aurelius settled into their sizeable two-story home on the base. Flotsam and Jetsam leaped and bounded about the house, enjoying the freedom they had from Ursula. Ariel loved to sing in the house, particularly the song she called "Part of Your World". Trajan always loved hearing his wife's singing, but Ariel wondered if she could get him to sing as well.

In the meantime, Prince Eric Aurelius had been assigned to the house next to them, and was going to start training in another week or so under his cousin's command. Their new lives were beginning to fall into place, but the struggle for Ariel's love was only just beginning…

**There you have it. That's the end of the story, but I am working on a sequel that I will upload in parts. Please feel free to review. I'd really like all the feedback I can get**


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